Monthly Archives: April 2018

If you’re looking for the best time to book a cottage deal in Cornwall, why not plan your break to coincide with the county’s food and drink festival?

The event takes place in cathedral city – Truro – between September 24th and 26th and could be a fantastic part of your holiday in Cornwall, bringing locals together along with tourists and professionals from the culinary world at the city’s central Lemon Quay Piazza.

Activities scheduled to take place include cook-offs, cookery lessons and cocktail-making demonstrations. At the market square, you’ll be able to catch sight of professional chefs whipping up mouth-watering morsels and pick up tips to put into practice when you return to your country holiday home in the evening.

Among the chefs in action will be winner of the south-west heat of BBC TV’s Great British Menu, Michelin-starred Nathan Outlaw. If you’d prefer some light entertainment, why not watch amateurs battle it out, when the BBC Radio Cornwall presenters compete against one another and the clock in a live cooking challenge?

Youngsters will also compete against each other in the kitchen when the Young Chefs’ Challenge takes place, with two teams of children aged 11 or under putting their skills to the test.

If you’re hoping to pick up some specialist advice, why not take some lessons at Skill School? Professional chefs will be giving expert cooking tuition that could make you the envy of all your friends back home. Or you might like to pick up some tips on how to make the best mixed drinks at the Cornish Cocktail Championships. Other activities going on at the event include the Greatest Coffee Morning, which is a nationwide appeal by cancer charity Macmillan.

It may sound counterintuitive, but according to dietitians and nutritionists, the best way to lose weight is to actually increase some of your food and drink intake.

Yes, it is true. However, before you ring up the pizza delivery place for an order of meaty pizza with a double layer of cheese, you might actually want to consider precisely what foods and drinks you should help yourself to in order to shed off some points off the bathroom scale. Needless to say, stocking up on pizzas, oily meat and double heaping of cheese is not the best way to lose weight.

But there are some other edibles you can eat as much as you can, whenever, wherever.

1. Vegetables would top that list very easily. Two or three servings per day are the recommended volume. That would be about 1 cup of raw vegetables or ½ cup of lightly cooked vegetable dish per meal. However, you can increase this if you feel less than satisfied with what is currently on your plate.

Raw vegetables have most of its nutrients intact, which means that you can gain the most benefits from eating these washed, peeled and simply cut. Dieticians and nutritionists are also recommending these as healthy snacks in case you come down with a serious case of munchies. Some of the best raw vegetables you can munch on are: carrots, celery, cucumber, fennel, lettuce, and all manner of herbs.

However, if you prefer cooked vegetables instead, make sure that these are lightly cooked (steamed, or grilled) and that these are not over marinated or swimming in oil or broths made of heavy creams. It is actually very easy to remember which vegetables you can increase in your meals. These would be the vibrantly colored ones.

2. There are certain fruits that you can increase in your daily meals. Take note of the fact that not all fruits are recommended for consuming on large volumes because these may contain high levels of fats, or have adverse effects on your health altogether. Avocadoes, apricots, mangoes are high in fat so these must be limited. However, you can go all out on some of the more fibrous fruits. Peppers and tomatoes are fruits that are very often used in dishes. These can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Apples, cantaloupes, pears, water melons are also especially great because these contain high volumes of liquid and fiber. Bananas should be limited to one piece per serving, or a maximum of 3 per day.

Try to eat the fruits as they are. Juicing them may make them easier to swallow, but it also releases the sorbitol compounds (from the natural sugars of the fruits). And sorbitol is not a good compound to take in large volumes because these trigger hunger pangs and food cravings as well. Eat the fruits whole and fresh. These are far better than eating them dried or pickled or swimming in caramel.

3. Water is always part of the good elements when it comes to the best way to lose weight. 8 glasses of water per day is the recommended volume. However, you can increase this as much as you want, as long as you know that you are drinking safe water. Try to steer clear of those that contain flavors, because these contain calories as well. Other liquids like sports drinks, tea, coffee, and cola may contain water, but these contain other ingredients that may not be safe to consume in large amounts. Even the innocuous tea contains caffeine which can accelerate the heart’s movements. Stick to plain, unflavored water, and you can literally have as much as you want.

It is sometimes amazing how much we money we spend on eating and drinking without even realizing it. Even just snacks and sodas and coffees can add up shockingly fast. It turns out you probably can eat and drink better without spending lots of money and in fact saving money.

Keep a log for a couple of weeks of where you spend money on food and drink. It doesn’t have to be anything formal, just take notes, and you’ll probably be surprised. You should see places you can save money without cutting back.

One place lots of money is spent is on soda, coffee, and similar drinks especially when in the office. I put a little mini refrigerator, about 30 dollars, in my office and I buy sodas by the case from Sams club instead of across the street now. It paid for itself in about 6 weeks, and the soda is the same! No compromises here.

I also found I was spending over $1000 a year on cups of coffee! I now make better coffee in my office for far less money. Yes, I’ll still go to the local coffee shop if I want to get out of the office and hangout somewhere, usually with my laptop, but if I just want coffee I make it myself and it’s better coffee too.

Most days I bring lunch to the office. It saves a lot of money and I have a healthier and usually tastier lunch.